CPUT HERS – SA Alumnae

The group of women met at Cape Town Campus, Ships, 6th floor Admin building.

CPUT ladies that attended the HERS-SA 2014 Academy kick started the program with a presentation of their experience at the Academy.

The Academy brought together 65 awesome women from various HEi sectors to engage in gender equity, women empowerment and an overview of institutional issues. This platform was useful for raising awareness of legislative frameworks around gender discrimination, theorisations of women leadership models and gaining an overview of institutional responses to admissions, diversity and research development and support.

Participants were also able to attend various workshop-type sessions on specialised topics of interest. This helped to add an individualised aspect to the programme and allowed participants to gain insight or develop some competency in areas they were possibly less familiar with.

A key but underestimated element of the Academy was the opportunity to network with other women in different disciplines, institutional types or roles and positions.

Thereafter, Bernie September spoke to the the ladies. Her insightful presentation “From the kitchen to the boardroom, claiming your personal power” had many ladies nodding in agreement. There is an old adage “a woman’s place is in the kitchen” and a man, says Bernie,” is most comfortable in a boardroom”. Mrs September spoke eloquently about how woman can claim their space at the table. The following points are very helpful in claiming your space in the boardroom.

Women must support other women

Work at becoming effective and successful

Gain the support of your team and other colleagues (males and females)

Become educated in all things gender

Know where you want to go, and voice your dreams

Activate personal mastery and embark on your own personal transformation

Don’t just fill a seat at the boardroom table; move them around and stack them up and down.

Bernie September “from the kitchen to the boardroom, claiming your personal power”

HERS-SA is a self-sustaining non-profit organisation(NPO), which was registered in September 2003 by the Department of Social Development.
HERS-SA is dedicated to the advancement and leadership development of women in the Higher Education sector. As a registered NPO HERS-SA has advocated for, and contributed to, the career and leadership development of women employed in the higher education sector via carefully crafted programmes. HERS-SA is an independent Chapter of HERS Mid-America. Ongoing contact and co-operation has grown in both directions, with women visiting the USA and vice versa. Inspired by the American HERS programme and with the initial support of the Andrew W Mellon Foundation, HERS-SA first began offering professional development programmes for academic and administrative women in South Africa in 2000. HERS-SA is now fully self-sustaining. Over 1 000 women from South Africa and other countries across Africa, and the USA have participated in HERS-SA programmes.
HERS-SA is honoured to have, as one of its alumna, the support of Ms Naledi Pandor, the Minister of Home Affairs.

Learning and Development launched the CPUT – HERS Alumnae Re-Union at CPUT. This union comprises of women who have attended the HERS-SA Academy and HERS-SA Mini Academy. This was an opportunity for the HERS Alumnae to engage issues, challenges and successes at CPUT. This initiative further envisages to establish a platform for women to share the impact and benefits of the HERS-SA Academy and our ongoing commitment to HERS-SA.

The purpose of CPUT – HERS Alumnae group is to support and develop women, to prepare CPUT women for leadership positions, to establish a platform for women to share challenges and actions and the impact and benefits of the HERS – SA Academy, and measuring the Return on Investment (ROI).